A Balanced and Effective Team “The better the mix, the better the performance”

In business, the perfect individual would be: Outgoing Organised Motivating Creative Hard driving Nobody’s Perfect Objective Diplomatic Meticulous Knowledgeable But a team can be … ?

Synergy = = 5 You get more out than you put in

Meredith Belbin and his superteam Success depends on: Not the most talented people … … but a mix of people with different skills Wrong mixture associated with low performance Most people have a ‘preferred team role’ … … plus a secondary role if necessary (‘ Management Teams’ 1981)

Teambuilding Why teams can be better than individuals Teams can contain a good mix of qualities that would not usually be found in a single person A team can share experiences, information and judgement A team has a life of its own, separate from its members A team can be more effective than the sum of its parts

What makes a team work? 1. A mix of personalities 2. Clear communication and feedback 3. Good preparation and planning 4. Letting everyone play their part

Good Team Players 1. Support and get on with each other 2. Respect each others strengths 3. Contribute to problem solving 4. Don’t leave things to other people

Meredith Belbin and his questionnaire Identifying your most comfortable team role 7 sections 10 points for each section Distribute these among the statements which most accurately describe your behaviour … … to a maximum of 4 statements Be honest – go with your gut reaction

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Co-ordinator Controls movement toward objectives Recognises team strengths and gaps Ensures best use of each team member’s potential

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Shaper: Sets team objectives and priorities Conditions how team effort is applied Imposes a pattern on discussion

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Resource Investigator: Integrates immediate concerns with larger issues Looks for new definitions of the problem Advances new ideas

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Monitor Evaluator Evaluates team ideas and output Checks on progress toward agreed objectives

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Team worker: Maintenance of team relationships Supports others’ contributions Seeks to repair conflicts Promotes diplomatic communication

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Specialist: Not necessarily within the team Technical ‘expert’ Brought in for expertise and then dispensed with again

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Implementor Turns concepts into practical procedures Follows agreed plans systematically

Belbin’s team roles Main attributes Completer Checks details carefully Focus on deadlines and schedules Follow tasks through persistently

Meredith Belbin and his ideal team An effective team should have: The Co-ordinator One strong innovator A spread of attributes / team roles A match of attributes and responsibilities An adjustment to any realisation of imbalance

Team Development Model FormStormNormPerform Fitting in? BoundariesUse people’sFlexibility & abilitiesResponsiveness